This poem came from the fear of being small. Of wondering if I had purpose and if that purpose was big enough, important enough, or bright enough. I was inspired by so many people around me and wondered if what I was doing could even make an impact. Then as I got older, I realized it is our collective contributions that make a difference. Nobody can make change on their own. No one star can light up the night sky.

We are all stars lighting the way for others in the dark.

- aoP

Growing up when I felt alone

I used to look at the sky.

I would take in those tiny bursts of brilliance

and wonder about each one.

How does each one shine in a way that

catches your eye even though

it's surrounded by many others just like it?

How does each tiny light that alone

seems so small

and yet remains so significant?

How do they know that they are part of

the reason why we look up at the sky at night?

Do they know that together, they create

an incredible force that scatters the globe?

I wondered if I were to become a star –

Would I be able to shine brightly enough?

Would I be remembered in a sea of stars just like me?

If I were to burn out - would anyone notice?

Does my light make a difference?

I remember feeling exposed

by the operations of “civilized” civilizations

that seemed to lay me out on a table

and see me as a specimen to dissect and control instead of take care of?

I remembered the false promises of "better world"

only to be met with uncertainty and fear.

Then I remembered every moment I was touched

By another Soul

another Star.

A friend, a loved one.

How they created a path of hope in my life

that made the darkness a little less frightening.

I remember the moments that made me

Want to stand hand in hand with these other stars

I remember those times we felt stronger

together- I wasn’t alone.

As we pave a passage for others to walk on.

Not as lone wanderers, but as a living constellation.

Connecting and collaborating to create endless opportunities

instead of being opposed by dangerous ideologies

that serve the few over the many.

Our glow radiates a tale of unity and purpose.

Each of us a flame - a whisper of a future where

No leader's call commands our light,

No guide's map carves our way.

Each of us in this intricate dance with each other

Not simply making a way but creating space.

Each of our rays, a single stitch

on the surface of The System,

We listen, we build, we unravel

Each movement echoing outward,

rippling through the sky as a blanket of

hope from the smallest spark to the hottest flame.

Each of us breaking a barrier

Each of us carrying a powerful purpose

Each of our actions ripples into a life

Each of us part of something bigger.

No part too small to carry weight.

No role too minor to matter.

We connect, we heal, we care, we protect

Creating a home of belonging.

We are the threads of light in a vast,

unseen tapestry, woven into systems

that rise and fall on the choices of every

single one of us.

While we will always remain.

Though small, we are never insignificant.

Though one, we are never alone.

Though far away we are still present.

This system not separate from us,

but a reflection of our hands, our hearts, our hopes.

It’s shape bends to the will of our actions,

its path shifts with realization of our choices.

We never stand still - we are always

burning flames flickering into the future.

To end our fire is to leave it unfulfilled

To act is to ignite that flame in another

To lift our voices, our hands, our courage—

is to take responsibility for the sky that

covers us held up by our hands reaching for change.

The system cannot remain the same

without us,

It cannot transform unless we do.

Every choice we make bends the world.

Every action we take is etched in

memory, in time.

So let us shine

Let us shine like stars in darkest of night

skies burning for each other

For in this collective dance, we are not simply pieces,

but the very thing that embodies the whole.

The sky waits for us to light her up

And maybe a child who feels alone and

looks up to us and how we shine for them.

That they can become a star

that shines for others too.

That it's never too late

To claim your light.